Playdate
by UnseatedShinigami
Summary: Its time once again for the annual Physical Evaluation of the Eleventh Division As if that isn't enough to keep him busy, Hanatarō is about to make a new friend YachiHana with hints of UnoKen Rated for slight language


This has been brewing in my head for a while. Enjoy.

I own nothing. Bleach and all related people places and things belong to Tite Kubo. But maybe if I ask real nice, he'll let me borrow them for a while. I have…ideas. Heh, heh, hahhahahahhahahahhahhah! Eh? Oh! Um…just ignore that last bit. K'thanks.

* * *

Hanatarō woke blearily at the sound of his small alarm clock, groggily reaching over and shutting the insistent ringing off. Even though it was only seven o'clock in the morning, he didn't have much time to take care of his daily needs before he needed to be at the Squad Four headquarters. Although normally his day didn't start until ten, today was far from normal. Today was Squad Eleven's mandatory Physical Evaluation Exam.

Every Soul Reaper in the Soul Society was required to have a Physical at least once a year, even Head Captain Yamamoto. Most of them had no problem with it, quickly and quietly getting it taken care of. Not so for the Eleventh Squad. The aggressive Soul Reapers under Captain Zaraki's command had made it an unofficial game to see who could avoid their yearly checkup the longest. The current record belonged to Yachiru at nearly three weeks until finally Captain Unohana herself had been forced to locate and bribe the Lieutenant with large amounts of candy.

After that debacle, Captain Unohana had personally met with Captain Zaraki to 'discuss' his squad's behavior. It was unknown exactly what had occurred during said meeting, however the sound of things breaking had sounded from her office for several hours accompanied by a great deal of spiritual pressure which had forced everyone to evacuate the surrounding area. In the end Unohana had returned in a better mood than anyone had seen her in for years; despite the state of her hair, clothing and the numerous small cuts which decorated her arms and face. Her office had been completely destroyed. The next day a heavily bandaged Zaraki had called a Squad Meeting and with a vicious grin had basically informed them they'd all either show up for the next Physical or they'd show up for medical treatment.

The next year had been a small disaster as every Soul Reaper in the Eleventh had promptly arrived at the same time, completely overwhelming the Fourth Division and forcing them to try and organize the mess before someone was injured. Captain Unohana had taken care of Zaraki's Exam personally, and thus was nowhere to be found.

Consequently it had been left to Lieutenant Isane to take control. By the time they had finished sorting everything out it had been nearly dusk and they were all exhausted. This year they were going to be ready. They had set aside a separate place to conduct the Eleventh's physicals, and prepared a rotation schedule to ensure that they managed to get everything taken care of that needed doing. It was just Hanatarō's bad luck that he had drawn first shift.

* * *

"Hanatarō, I need another set of bandages over here."

Rushing over to the person who had called, he handed one of the extra bandage packs over. The Eleventh's checkup had been going smoothly so far, and they had managed to successfully examine almost half of the entire squad with barely any injuries. It was a small miracle as far as Hanatarō was concerned and he couldn't wait for his shift to finally end. As if to spite him, another voice echoed from across the room. "Someone help me hold this guy down."

Immediately after, a second voice roared out. "Get that damn needle away from me!" From the direction the words had come from a loud crashing sounded. Several other medics rushed over to help the poor squad member who had been stuck with the needle fearing Soul Reaper.

"How distasteful. Is that any way to behave? Honestly, to be afraid of something as simple as a needle." Turning to look at the person who had spoken, he found Fifth Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa. Seated calmly where one of the Fourth Squad members was taking his blood pressure, he stared disapprovingly at the ongoing spectacle.

"Ah, give 'im a break. Those fucking things hurt." Third Seat Ikkaku Madarame retorted from the next cot over as he pulled his Shihakusho back on, having finished his Examination.

"A tiny little needle is nothing when compared to the damage sustained in combat." Yumichika countered.

Ikkaku snorted. "It's one thing to get hit with a Zanpakutō during a good fight, but sitting still while someone jabs at you is something else completely."

Before Hanatarō could hear the rest of the conversation, he found himself with a face-full of pink hair. "Hiya, what's your name?"

Taking a step back, Hanatarō was able to get a look at the person who had addressed him. Standing in front of him was the Lieutenant of the Eleventh Squad Yachiru Kusajishi. Being almost half a foot shorter than him she was busy peering curiously up at him as he paled under her gaze. He quickly gave a formal bow. "Lieutenant Kusajishi."

Yachiru began giggling at his greeting, prompting him to look at her confusedly. "No that's my name silly. Who're you?"

"Oh, um, my name is Hanatarō Yamada, Seventh Seat of Squad Four."

"Hi Hana! Hey, I Know! Since Kenny is busy with Braidy Lady let's play a game."

At a loss for how to respond to this situation, Hanatarō nervously sought assistance from his fellow squad members. Unfortunately they were all too busy taking care of their various patients; however he spotted Lieutenant Kotetsu approaching and gave her a pleading look. Coming over to see what the problem was she stopped short as she saw Yachiru. "Ah, He-hello Lieutenant Kusajishi. Do you need something?"

The small Lieutenant tapped her finger against her lips as she considered Isane's question for several moments before finally deciding. "Nope."

"Oh. Um, then…is there a reason you're here?"

Yachiru gave a big nod. "Yep."

Despite her answer, she made no move to continue speaking, prompting Isane to continue questioning the excitable girl. "Can I ask what that reason is?"

"I came to find Kenny, but he's getting physical with Captain Braidy Lady."

Isane flushed brightly at the image Yachiru's words gave her. "I think you mean he's getting _a_ Physical."

Yachiru nodded acceptance to that. "Since Kenny's busy, I decided to find Baldy, but I can't find him anywhere." Not even ten feet behind her Ikkaku was loudly debating with Yumichika about whether needles or Zanpakutō were worse to be stabbed with. Yachiru remained oblivious. "But that's okay, now I have Hana to play with."

Isane's eyes gleamed at that and she turned to Hanatarō, who definitely didn't like the look she was giving him.

"I'm sure Hanatarō would be happy to play with you Lieutenant Kusajishi."

"Yay!"

Hanatarō understood the unspoken message. _'Keep her occupied and away from the others.'_ Not wanting to disobey his superior, but equally not liking the prospect of being tethered to the unruly pinkette, Hanatarō found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. However, before he had time to so much as open his mouth to try and defend himself, the smaller girl had latched onto his wrist and begun dragging him away.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" As he was pulled across the building screaming, in his mind he imagined himself being thrown to the sharks; all of which were suspiciously pink in color.

* * *

He had no idea how it had happened, but when everything had finally stopped rushing past him he found himself inside the Kuchiki Manor. More importantly, he found himself lying on the floor of the Kuchiki Manor as the head of the Clan; Byakuya Kuchiki; was stoically withstanding being pestered by Yachiru who was literally hanging off of him. Nervously he pulled himself to his feet, hoping to stay unnoticed, and for the moment it seemed his wishes were being granted as all of Byakuya's attention was focused solely on his pink haired intruder.

"Play a game with us Byakushi! Let's play Hide and Seek! I bet you'll never find me."

"No, I have no interest in playing children's games with you. Vacate yourself from my property immediately, or I will be forced to take extreme measures."

Yachiru actually stopped at that, hanging off the side of his head, pausing to consider Byakuya's words. "You mean you're gonna fight me. Yay! Kenny'll be so jealous!"

With a longsuffering sigh, Byakuya turned his attention to his other uninvited houseguest with a glare. "You. You are Captain Unohana's Seventh Seat, correct?" Hanatarō managed a terrified nod. Byakuya sighed tiredly, before locking his eyes on the younger Soul Reaper. "The Kuchiki Clan will owe you a debt of honor if you remove Her from my home."

More than willing to comply, Hanatarō anxiously moved over to Yachiru's side. "Hey, um, Lieutenant; I think we should leave, if you want you can come with me while I check on Captain Ukitake."

Yachiru perked up at this. "Uki-Uki? He always has candy; Alright let's go." Jumping off of Byakuya's shoulder she grabbed Hanatarō by the back of his Shihakusho and began dragging him behind him again. As they left, he was barely able to see the look of relief which Byakuya wore before they were out of sight.

* * *

Captain Jyūshirō Ukitake gave a resigned sigh as his dual seconds-in-command Kiyone and Sentaro bickered over who would get to pour his tea. It was a point of regret that incidents such as this had become so much a part of his daily routine that it no longer fazed him. Truthfully it was the most excitement he would likely have that day. As if to prove him wrong, at that moment his door came crashing down directly on top of his arguing squad members.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Lying across the fallen shoji was the familiar face of his sometimes doctor Hanatarō Yamada, a large welt on his forehead and swirls in his eyes.

The reason for this, as well as his atypical entrance was soon made apparent as the small form of Yachiru clambered up his side. "Hiya Uki-Uki!"

He gave a soft chuckle at the Lieutenant's enthusiastic greeting. "Ah, Hello Yachiru. I see you've found a new playmate."

"Yep, that's Hana. He's kinda quiet, but he's real nice. Ya got any candy?"

Laughing yet again, he pulled out a small bag of treats which he kept for such occasion. Grabbing the bag Yachiru ravenously attacked the contents as Ukitake turned his attention to his other visitor.

"Are you alright Hanatarō?"

Managing to pull himself to his feet, Hanatarō gave a sheepish laugh. "Yeah, I'm alright. Luckily something soft broke my fall."

From under his feet there came the sound of groaning.

"Ah! Oh, I'm sorry. Here let me help you."

Captain Ukitake watched concernedly as Hanatarō scrambled to aid his overly earnest subordinates, pulling them out from under the fallen door. Despite not being very heavy it had still managed to injure his two squad members a surprising amount, most likely due to Hanatarō's added impact. Not having had the time to take his usual Squad Four medical equipment with him when Yachiru had grabbed him, he was forced to resort to using his Zanpakutō's unique ability to heal them of their numerous but mostly noncritical injuries. Once they had been taken care of Hanatarō straightened and turned to where Ukitake reclined.

"How are you feeling today Captain?"

Reassured of his loyal subordinate's well-being, Jyūshirō gave a cheerful smile. "I'm doing well. There haven't been any episodes recently."

Hanatarō nodded clinically as he began a medical scanning Kido. "You're lungs seem to have cleared up a little since last time I was here, and the scarring is less extreme. It looks like you might be in remission for now."

Ukitake gave an appreciative nod. "That is good news. Perhaps now I'll be able to resume my regular duties."

Hanatarō shook his head negatively. "I think you should keep resting. We don't really know how long this might last, and the last thing we want is to make your condition worse."

The Captain gave a disappointed sigh. "You're right of course, but I can always hope."

Hanatarō smiled encouragingly. "That's the spirit. If your health keeps improving, we might have you up and moving any time now."

At that moment, having finished her candy, Yachiru placed herself directly in front of Hanatarō causing him to fall back with a yelp of surprise. Standing over him as he lay on the ground staring up at her, Yachiru tilted her head to the side inquisitively. "Hey Hana, watcha doin on the floor?"

Laughing amusedly at the girls antics, Captain Ukitake reached down and helped Hanatarō to stand back on his feet.

Brushing himself off, Hanatarō sent an irritable look towards the energetic Lieutenant, but stayed silent. "C'mon Hana, let's go visit Clown Face."

Before Hanatarō could even finish paling as he recognized the person she was referring to she had already grabbed him and started running, towing him behind her.

"Bye Uki-Uki, see you later!"

Shaking his head with a small laugh he turned to face his two unconscious assistants. The sight which greeted him instantly forced him to grab the camera he used to photograph the birds which regularly came to his window.

After seeing the pictures, neither Kiyone nor Sentaro were able to look at each other for days.

* * *

"I'm afraid the Captain is not here at the moment. If you would like I can tell him you were here when he returns."

Unfazed by Nemu's words, Yachiru shook her head negatively. "No thanks."

Nemu gave a soft nod of understanding. "Very well; if you didn't need anything else, then I must return to my duties. The Captain will return shortly, if you would like to wait you may do so here." She said, placing slightly more emphasis on the last word.

Nodding happily, Yachiru watched as Nemu left the building on whatever errand her Captain/Father had given her. Once she had gone Yachiru turned with a mischievous look and yet again grabbed Hanatarō as she hurried deeper into the Twelfth Division Headquarters.

"W-Wait, Lieutenant Kusajishi! Nemu said to wait back there!"

Ignoring his words it wasn't until they had reached the Lab that Yachiru let him go. Looking around nervously, Hanatarō wanted nothing more than to leave. Immediately. "We're not supposed to be in here. What if Captain Kurotsuchi finds out."

"Don't worry, Clown Face is nice. He won't mind." Ignoring his worry Yachiru was eagerly exploring the mad Captain's workshop, searching the Lab for anything interesting. She quickly found something that caught her eye.

"Wow! What does this do?"

Turning to where Yachiru was holding an unusual device, Hanatarō paled.

* * *

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, was a creature of habit. He preferred everything to be in order, and ordered everything to be as he preferred. So when he entered his lab and found it in a state of complete anarchy, irritated didn't even begin to cover what he felt.

"Hiya Clown Face!" Immediately after her greeting, there came a small explosion as one of his experiments spontaneously combusted. Looking over at the growing fire, Yachiru gave a sheepish laugh.

"Um…it was supposed to do that?" She offered as an explanation with a decisive nod.

Glaring bloody murder, Mayuri drew his Zanpakutō. "RIP, ASHISOGI JIZŌ!"

As Hanatarō ran for his life, the laughing Yachiru behind him he couldn't help but wish his Captain was here.

* * *

Straightening herself with a satisfied sigh, Retsu Unohana smiled contently.

"Alright, I believe we're done for now."

Sitting up from the examination table, currently the only thing still in working order, Zaraki Kenpachi shrugged his Shihakusho back onto himself with a grin.

"Whatever you say, Doc. Same time next year?"

Unohana gave a sly smirk. "Perhaps sooner than that, I think."

* * *

"We're sorry Captain Kurotsuchi, please stop trying to kill us!" Hanatarō's pleas went unheeded as he desperately ducked under one of the desktops. He had no sooner concealed himself than Mayuri kicked the table away from him, Zanpakutō pointed at his face.

"You are an insignificant worm, if I wanted to kill you I would have already done so. Where is the other brat hiding?"

Looking around the devastated workspace, it dawned on Hanatarō that Yachiru was nowhere in sight. She had ditched him.

Seeing the look of stunned realization on his face, Mayuri sneered. "Pathetic. If you can't answer me, than I have no use for you."

At that Hanatarō shut his eyes tightly anticipating the crazed Captain's killing blow. However when nothing happened he cautiously looked up, only to see the departing form of Captain Kurotsuchi.

"There's no point in sullying my blade with the likes of you, get out before I decide to dissect you."

Hanatarō needed no further invitation, immediately running for the exit as fast as his legs could carry him. Only when he was well away from the Twelfth Division did he allow himself to relax.

"Hey Hana, why'd you run away?"

"AAHHHHH!"

Turning around in an instant, his heart running a mile a minute, he found the curious face of Lieutenant Kusajishi staring back at him. An unfamiliar feeling rose in his chest and Hanatarō for the first time in his life, found the will to yell at someone.

"Why did I run away?! Why do you think?!"

Yachiru recoiled at Hanatarō's shout, a look of shock on her face. Hanatarō however wasn't done.

"Do you have any consideration for anyone but yourself? Today I've seen you invade the home of Captain Kuchiki, break down the door of Captain Ukitake's Headquarters; with my face even; and practically destroy Captain Kurotsuchi's lab all while dragging me along by the back of my neck. Why did I run away? I ran away because you're going to get me killed!"

Breathing heavily, Hanatarō finished his rant. It was only when he had managed to calm down that he noticed the tearful look which Yachiru wore. Before he could apologize however; an oppressive force slammed down on him, sending him to his knees.

"Hey Yachiru, this guy bothering you?"

With a supreme force of will, Hanatarō managed to turn to face the death like voice which had sounded.

"Kenny!"

Glaring down at him, waves of spiritual pressure flowing from his body, Zaraki Kenpachi stood directly behind him.

* * *

After finishing with Unohana, Zaraki had gone out to find his unofficial daughter figure. His first stop had of course been back at his Division. There he had found Ikkaku and Yumichika engaging in some bullshit about needles and Zanpakutō. He promptly put an end to that.

"Quit yer yappin. Which one of you idiots is watching Yachiru?"

Both of them exchanged confused glances. Yumichika was the first to respond. "I thought she was with you Captain. I haven't seen her all day."

"Yeah, me neither. I thought it was quiet around here."

Zaraki snorted. "If you two morons aren't keeping an eye on her, then where the hell is she?"

"Maybe she's back at the Fourth Squad Division. She might have gone looking for you."

Nodding at the effeminate man's words, Zaraki left. As soon as he did so, the other two resumed their argument.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Fourth's Headquarters he went searching for his missing Lieutenant. "Yachiru, get yer ass over here!"

Attracted by his yelling, Lieutenant Isane rushed over to help him as fast as possible.

"Captain Zaraki, Please keep your voice down. Yachiru left several hours ago with one of my squad members. She hasn't been back since."

He grunted at that, and without another word turned around. If she wasn't here then the next best place to look would be at that pompous ass Byakuya's place.

Not bothering to ring the bell, Kenpachi simply leapt over the surrounding wall of the Kuchiki Manor. Of course this didn't go unnoticed and moments later, Byakuya came striding across his perfectly manicured lawn.

"Hey Byakuya, you seen Yachiru around?"

"Your Lieutenant was here earlier, however due to the quick thinking of her companion she left with minimal damage to my property. I would prefer it if you would do the same."

"Yeah, whatever. When're you and me gonna have that fight?"

Byakuya sighed. "As I've told you countless times, I have no interest in combat with you either now or in the foreseeable future. Now please, leave my residence."

"Tch, Pansy."

With that he exited in the manner he had arrived, jumping over the wall which bordered the estate. In the process he accidentally knocked loose one of the tiles which crashed into the koi pond, cracking the mosaic bottom.

Glaring at the damage, Byakuya found himself reconsidering his position on a match against the other Captain.

* * *

Sitting on the floor at the foot of their Captain's futon, studiously avoiding each other's gaze, Kiyone and Sentaro calmly waited as their Captain finished the tea they had made. A sudden crashing sound drew the attention of all three of the room's occupants. Turning as one to face the direction the sound came from, they were caught off guard as for the second time that day both of Ukitake's aides were crushed under the newly repaired shoji doors.

"Hey you, you seen Yachiru?"

"Hello Captain Zaraki. Yes, Yachiru was here earlier. She came with one of my doctor's during my regularly scheduled checkup. I'm afraid you just missed them though. I believe she said something about going to see Captain Kurotsuchi."

Kenpachi growled. "I swear if that freaks done anything to Yachiru…"

"Yes, that would be incredibly unfortunate. Perhaps it would be best if you hurry."

Not bothering to respond to that, he left as quickly as he had come. Staring at the fallen forms of Kiyone and Sentaro, he idly wondered if he should simply remove the doors which were broken down more often than they were actually opened. If nothing else, it would reduce medical costs.

* * *

Crashing through the doorway, Zaraki glared around him for any sign of Yachiru. Staring in surprise and fear at his sudden appearance, the members of the Twelfth Squad swiftly hurried to inform Captain Kurotsuchi.

As soon as Mayuri entered the room, Kenpachi grabbed him by the neck and pulled him close. "Where's Yachiru?" His question, asked in a snarl, failed to intimidate Mayuri.

"I would ask you the same thing! Do you know how much of my research your pet destroyed today? It will take me months to repair the damage! Next time you let her off her leash, you had best keep better track of her!"

Seeing that Mayuri was equally unaware of his Lieutenant's whereabouts, Zaraki spat in disgust. "I don't give a damn about your 'research'; but if I find out you tried to use Yachiru for one of your fucked-up projects I'll help you discover what dying feels like. You got that?"

Tossing the twisted Captain to the side, he turned and left in a foul mood. Exiting Squad Twelve's grounds, Zaraki considered where to look next. There was no doubt in his mind that Yachiru could easily handle herself; the problem was, left unchecked she was practically an unstoppable force. Given enough time she could bring the entire Soul Society crashing down on their heads. He would never hear the end of that from the Head Captain. And then there was the paperwork; Ugh. No, it was better to figure out where the chaotic little brat had run off to as soon as possible. Unfortunately, he had no idea where else she might have gone; he had already checked all her usual places. Deciding to simply rely on his natural talent at navigation, he picked a random direction and headed off; and to hell with anything in his way.

Nearly a dozen dead ends and at least twice as many ruined walls later, he caught sight of a flash of pink in the corner of his eye. Whirling around; incidentally crashing into another building side as he did so; he raced after it. As he approached he thought he heard someone yelling. Finally turning a corner, he at last cornered his elusive target. Seeing her staring with a stunned and slightly hurt expression at an unknown person who was breathing heavily as he glared at her, Kenpachi's rarely used but highly developed protective instincts kicked in. Releasing his restraint on his spiritual pressure he made his presence known.

"Hey Yachiru, this guy bothering you?"

Instantly the pinkette brightened at the sight of him. "Kenny!"

The other figure nearly collapsed under the weight of his spiritual pressure. Turning slowly, he looked fearfully up at Kenpachi. The guy was a rather weak looking nobody, wearing the marking of the Fourth Division. Despite that Zaraki was mildly impressed that the kid hadn't already passed out; even though he was barely using a fraction of his power, he had seen stronger looking men collapse into instant unconsciousness from less. Yet somehow the little punk was still moving, albeit barely.

"C-c-Captain Zaraki sir. Uh, are you-are you here for Yachiru?"

The brat's nervous stutter pissed him off. Where did a weak ass little shit like this get off yelling at his Lieutenant? Unconsciously, he unleashed even more of his full strength. The Fourth Squad member's knees buckled and he narrowly caught himself before he hit the ground, desperately struggling for air. Abruptly, Kenpachi felt Yachiru hit the back of his head.

"Stupid Kenny, if you don't stop you'll kill Hana." Realizing she had a point he reined his Spiritual Energy in, allowing Hanatarō to breathe.

"Tch. This guy a friend of yours?"

Yachiru nodded vigorously. "Yep."

Zaraki grinned widely. "Well then, let's make sure he can handle the pressure. Hey punk, let's you and me have a little fight. If you wanna keep hanging out with Yachiru, all you gotta do is land one hit on me. Right here." Zaraki left himself wide open, pointing directly at the center of his chest as he said this.

Hanatarō paled dramatically. "W-Wait, hold on. Can't we talk about this?"

Grabbing his sword and swinging it wildly at Hanatarō, Zaraki scoffed. "Talkin's for wusses and politicians. Get yer Zanpakutō out kid, otherwise you're gonna need Unohana herself to patch you up."

"Hisagomaru isn't a combat type Zanpakutō!"

Even as he protested fearfully, he pulled out his blade attempting to protect himself with weapon. Although it managed to prevent him from being sliced in half by Zaraki's swing, even at the heavily reduced strength Kenpachi was using it still sent Hanatarō flying. Crawling out from under the rubble, the heavily battered and bruised Medic Soul Reaper painfully managed to stand. Obviously Zaraki was serious about his hitting him, but the only way he could possibly hope to even scratch a Captain was using Hisagomaru's other ability.

'_If I hadn't been forced to use Hisagomaru earlier, I wouldn't be able to do this. But I don't think I have any other choice.' _Resigned to the situation he turned his blade inward and whispering his command phrase gave a sharp jerk, shoving it into his chest. Even Zaraki was caught off guard by this act, stopping cold mid-attack with a grunt. "Damn, I didn't think he'd kill himself. Taking the coward's way out; what a fucking waste."

"Hana!" Turning to where Yachiru had been watching the fight, he frowned at the pained expression on her face; however it suddenly turned to surprise at the same time a voice sounded from behind him.

"Akeiro Hisagomaru!"

Without warning a blast of crimson energy shot forward hitting Zaraki on side of his chest, where he had left himself exposed. When the light cleared it revealed the slightly scarred skin under his torn Shihakusho.

Blinking in disbelief for a second Zaraki gave a manic grin before bursting into crazed laughter, turning to the exhausted Hanatarō who was somehow completely healed of all his previous injuries. "Not bad. If you ever want to learn how to use that thing right, come on over to the Eleventh Division. We'll set you up good. C'mon Yachiru, I'm hungry. Let's go get some food."

"Kay Kenny."

Rushing after the giant Captain, she nimbly climbed up his back until she clung to her customary spot on his shoulder. Turning back, she sent Hanatarō an energetic wave. "Bye-bye Hana!"

Watching weakly as the two departed, he felt a wave of relief pass through him. He had survived. He had fought Zaraki Kenpachi, and he was still alive. Even more impossibly, he had managed to last an entire day with Yachiru Kusajishi. Not willing to take any more chances with his already strained luck, he tiredly stumbled back to the Fourth Division.

He was met by Lieutenant Kotetsu and Captain Unohana at the entrance. "Ah, there you are Hanatarō. I believe I owe you thanks for taking care of Lieutenant Kusajishi for the day. I know she can be quite a handful, and I'm sure you must be fatigued. Why don't you take tomorrow off, Isane and I will take care of your regular duties."

Hanatarō slumped gratefully. "Thank you Captain."

"As I said Hanatarō, I'm the one who should be thanking you. It is no easy thing to keep the Lieutenant occupied, and your actions ensured I was uninterrupted during Captain Zaraki's Examination. A day off is the least I can do."

Unsure what Captain Unohana meant, as she had spoken with an unusual tone in her voice, but too drained to bother trying to figure it out he simply nodded and bowed to his superiors before he went inside. Not even taking the time to get undressed he collapsed onto his futon and was asleep in moments.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and beautiful; with the birds singing cheerily, the sun shining brilliantly and a tranquil peace stretching across the entire Soul Society. Hanatarō slept through it unaware. At last just after noon, he woke with a yawn. Taking a second to enjoy the rare sensation of having nothing requiring his attention, he closed his eyes for a long moment. However; with a sudden bang his door slammed open and the familiar figure of Ikkaku entered his room, ending his relaxation and causing him to fly upward in a full on panic. Without any explanation, he reached over his shoulder and with a yank pulled something from off of his back which he then proceeded to throw directly at Hanatarō's head.

"Here kid, Your problem from now on." With that Ikkaku bolted, laughing victoriously to the sky.

Managing to remove that which had been thrown at him, he opened his eyes and got a look at his newest surprise.

"Hiya Hana!"

* * *

Looking up from her paperwork, Retsu Unohana listened intently. "Odd, I thought I heard screaming." Dismissing it, she returned to her work.

**Authors Note:**

Alright, here you go.

First, about the nicknames. I tried to stay accurate but since I couldn't find Yachiru's nickname for Unohana other than the one used in the Japanese versions I made up one of my own, and personally I find the idea of Yachiru calling Mayuri Clown Face hilarious so I used that instead of his actual nickname.

Also I know that this isn't totally compliant with recent revelations in the manga, but hey its fanfiction so… yeah.

It's not quite up to my usual standards, but I like it and I hope you do too. Go ahead and let me know what you think by clicking the little review button. Do it…or I'll send Yachiru after you. I have cookies and I'm not afraid to use them.


End file.
